Sleeve press



July 20, 1954 R. E. CAMPBELL ETAL 2,684,189 I SLEEVE PRESS Filed NOV. 12, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l fau/N i CWM/Gaal..

July 20, 1954 R. E. CAMPBELL ETAL 2,684,189

SLEEVE PRESS Filed Nov. 12, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLEEVE PRESS Rollin E. Campbell and Harry D. Forse, Anderson, Ind.; said Campbell assignor to said Forse 2 Claims. l

This invention relates to a sleeve press for the pressing or ironing of shirt sleeves. Since each shirt includes two sleeves the press is of dual sleeve accommodating type. However, since sleeve length and/or girth may vary for reasons well understood, the sleeves even of dissimilar length can be simultaneously ironed.

Since for laundry use successive shirts may have different lengths and girths, the press of the present invention is arranged to accommodate substantially all shirts as hit and miss supplied thereto.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a sleeve press wherein the shirt sleeve is mounted upon a tapering buck telescopically received within and pressed or ironed by a frustoconical` hollow heated head, said buck being of expansible type.

Another chief object of the present invention is to prevent undue buck expansion until it is head confined so as to prevent buck rupture, tearing or jamming.

A further chief object of the present invention is to provide a sleeve press that is manually initiatahle and thereafter is automatically controlled until the ironed sleeves are exposed for removal from the press.

The chief feature of the present invention resides in providing a sleeve press of such construction and so controlled that the foregoing several objectives are accomplished.

Other objects and features of the invention will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and Claims:

In the drawings- Fig. l is a front elevation of a dual sleeve press embodying the invention, the bucks being shown in sleeve receiving and removing position, one of the bucks and its associated head being shown in longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 is .a side elevation thereof with the bucks and heads in Dressing position.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a schematic piping diagram of the pneumatic system embodied in the invention.

In Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, I0 indicates a base from which rises a post or standard I I. Disposed rearwardly thereof is a substantial parallel cylinder I2 mounting therein, see Fig. 4, a piston I3 carried by piston rod fit which projects upwardly.

The upper end thereof, see Fig. 2, has arm I5 connected thereto and the arm is of offset character and has its lower end connected to the upper end of tubular guide Il'. This guide mounts transversely disposed cross head I8 provided at the ends with elongated guides I9.

In each is slidably mounted rod 20 which is elongated and at the lower end mounts link 2| and above the cross head mounts collar 22. Concentric with the rod. and bearing at opposite ends upon the cross head and collar is the spring 23.

When rod carried buck 2d cannot rise further, incident to head 25 limiting such travel, the cross head can rise toI the eXtreme limit of its travel, the spring 23 compressing as shown in Fig. 2 at this time, compare positions A, B and C.

The buck comprises a frusto-conical elongated shell 2t, see Fig. l, of light sheet rubber clamped at the top as at and at the bottom as at 28. A single conduit 29 serves as an inlet and outlet for air supply and release, respectively.

Each head 25 is frusto-conical in form and slightly longer and larger than the buck. It is jacketed as at 3D so that steam can be applied thereto for heating the inner surface, which heated surface irons the sleeve when mounted upon the buck.

The cuff clamp ears 32 are attached to hemispherical shells 3.3. The shells 33 are pivotally mounted on piston rod 3i. Piston structure 34a is slidably mounted in cylinder 35 within the buck. The cylinder 35 is rigid with buck 24. Tension spring 36 tends to pull the clamp ears 32 together and thus dispose them in clamping relation upon the buck upper end.

When a shirt sleeve is applied to the buck 25 as shown in Fig. 1 left hand side, the culi clamp ears 32 are applied to the unbuttoned cuir on the buck, as shown at the right hand side, same iigure. Now when the buck nests in the head and further upward travel of the buck is prevented, continued upward cross head movement. causes adjustment screw 3m to engage valve 3|, thereby introducing air into cylinder 35. At 'this time, of course, the open cuil is trapped upon the buck by the head. Thus no cuff clamp mark is left upon the ironed cuff.

It appears proper to here point out that when the two bucks are in lowered position saine are deated. The sleeves of a shirt are applied over the upper ends of the buck and drawn down thereon and smoothed down. The cuffs are then clamped by ears 32. Then the bucks are elevated into the heads. Note the bucks can accommodate various sleeve lengths and girths. During such elevation the bucks are but slightly innated and as long as not substantially fully registered within the heads the bucks cannot be highly inflated. Note the slopes of the ears, bucks and heads are substantially alike.

There is provided in the buck supply and release line 29 a relief valve structure that when the buck is not nested prevents buck pressure accumulation greater than the low pressure de sired for sleeve stretching etc., and which upon buck nesting in the head permits high pressure accumulation in the buck. Herein the link 2l supports oating bar El' mounting valve body #l0 supporting ball 4l, see Fig. 4, nesting by gravity upon seat l2 to seal ofi vent 43 in free communication with lines 29.

To prevent high pressure in the buck before entering the head a second safety relief valve is provided. It comprises valve d5 having seat 45 controlled by ball 4l. Line d8 the-retoI connects to supply line 29 to which branch lines l5 and low pressure relief line 43 are connected. Bracket 5G pivotally supports at Elta arm 5l having loop 52 therein. Disposed therein is a rod 53 having a head 5d at the upper end. Rod 53 is slidably mounted in guide 55. Gravity, normally acting upon the rod 53 through arm 5l, holds valve 41 closed after the cross head has sufficiently elevated to lift rod 53 oli of base H), the Weight of rod 53 being sufficient to hold ball il on seat l5 against high pressure inflation.

Reference will now be had more particularly to the lower portions of Figs. l and 2. The base l includes spaced forwardly projecting guard portions l. Disposed in the space thus dened is the oppositely tiltable foot operable lever 58 carried by arm 59 mounted on rocker shaft t.

A standard 5l rising from base i' adjustably mounts one end of spring 62, the other end being connected to cam member 63 pivoted at tl upon standard 55. Standard 55 supports U-shaped stop 55 with so-called lower stop Si at the top and so-called upper stop 63 at the bottom. A bumper roll 69 is carried by angle arm l5 tiltable with lever or treadle 58.

Tiltable with said lever or treadle is the cam roller 'H and the same rides the cam face l2 which is V-shaped and forms the cam member 53. Thus the roller is disposed over-center in one position or the other relative to said face l2.

A cylinder I3 is pivoted at 'lll upon another eX tension of the bumper carrying arm lil. In this cylinder is a piston l5, see Fig. 4, carried by' rod 'l5 pivoted at l1 upon standard 6|. This cylinder and piston structure is for timing the duration of pressing or ironing.

The structure described requires manualV actuation of control 58 to start the cycle after the sleeves have been applied to the bucks. This control structure eects automatically the return of all parts to starting position. In the event it is desired to manually effect return or to effect return before completion of the cycle the treadle lever 55 is reversely actuated.

Reference will again be had to Fig. 4. Herein 18 indicates a pressure supply line that maintains a constant pressure supply, say 60 p. s. i. It enters combination inlet and exhaust unit 19 having an inlet valve with stem 8| and an exhaust valve with stem 82. The release is through exhaust 8@ or muffler.

A line 32 serves as a common holding, exhaust and supply line. A branch 83 contains a low pressure regulator 565. Another branch B5 contains a check valve 86. Line 9 aforesaid connects to both. High pressure in line 82 seals check 8S. Line 82." beyond the regulator takeoi includes choke dl and this choked line 88 connects to lifting cylinder i3.. The latterY has a shock absorber and a regulated bleeder relier" 39.

Branching from line 82 is line 90 that includes regulating or timer valve 9|. The same discharges by line 92 to cylinder 13 having piston 'l5 therein. This cylinder has ports 93 therein. The operation briey is as follows:

When the treadle is depressed the high pressure valve is opened at stem 8l and high pressure air is supplied through Venturi type choke 8l to the power cylinder. Low pressure air is also supplied to line 29 and the bucks are partially inflated and so held until the bucks are nested in the heads.

At this time the low pressure relief valve [it] is allowed to close and the safety valve 45 held shut. During this time high pressure air has been restrictively supplied to the timer device, lli-l5 until ports 93 are uncovered which releases the automatic control to operate exhaust valve 82 to vent completely cylinders T3 and l2 and the bucks.

Pressing pressure in the bucks 2d creates a downward thrust in opposition to the upward thrust of cylinder i2. Proportionate rise and fall of pressures between the bucks 2d and the cylinder ifi must be maintained to prevent shifting of bucks while nested.. This is accomplished by means of Venturi choke 8l.

When all parts are returned to starting position automatically or manually, the inlet valve is again opened through stem 8l and the treadle as previously described.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the drawings and ioregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modiiications described herein as well as others which will readily suggest them` selves to persons skilled in this art, all are corr sidered to be within the broad scope oi the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. In a sleeve press having a tubular frustoconical head member and a coaxial frustoconical buck member, the two membersr having relative axial movement for telescopic association and disassociation, one of said members haring ilexible inflatable Walls to provide an inflatable member and the other of said members having a heated surface, said surface and walls, when the members are nested, confronting each other for ironing a shirt sleeve therebetween, a support movable axially with respect to one of said members, yielding means supporting the other of said members on said support in axial alignment with the iirst mentioned of said members, means for moving said support, and means for moving said yieldably supported member a predetermined distance axially of said members to eiiect nesting of the same.

2. A sleeve press as deiined by claim l wherein means is provided to inflate the inflatable member, and control means regulating the said ination means to effect low pressure inflation prior to and during movement of the members toward one another and high pressure inflation when said members have reached com-plete nested association.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,348,330 Couch May 9, 1944 2,495,281 Pearson Jan.. 24, 1950 2,516,054: Forse et al July 18, 1950 

